For the last 18 years the vinyl record industry in the U.S. has sustained a continuous uptick in sales. So when a report last month by Luminate, the leading music industry source for tracking music consumption, indicated a precipitous 33% drop during the first half of 2024, it caused quite a stir. Since then, Luminate has retracted its original report, and followed up with a corrected report saying vinyl sales were actually up 2.2% in 2024.

To find why this happened, we speak with Chris Muratore, Director at Luminate and music industry insider Billy Fields from Warner Music Group.

Ultimately counting record sales isn’t as easy as it may seem. Although Luminate gets accurate accounting of record sales from major online websites and big box retailers, sales from independent record stores (“indies”) are harder to come by. That wouldn’t be such a big deal, except for the fact that an estimated 40% of record sales are from indies in the U.S. So with only a small fraction of indies reporting vinyl sales, Luminate has always estimated the indie portion in its reports. But how they estimate matters.

A small change in Luminate’s estimation algorithm caused a dramatic turn of events. But there is more to the story of vinyls resurgence, so we hope you’ll tune in to take a deep dive into the vinyl music industry.

Thank you to our sponsors SVS and Q Acoustics!

For more information on these stellar brands, please click the links below: 
https://www.svsound.com
https://www.qacoustics.com

Related links:
https://luminatedata.com
https://vinylalliance.org
https://www.riaa.com/u-s-sales-database/
https://www.ifpi.org
https://www.wmg.com
https://www.discogs.com/digs/collecting/vinyl-sales-up-in-2024/

Panel:
• Mitch Anderson, Host & eCoustics Podcast Producer
• Brian Mitchell, eCoustics Founder & CEO
• Chris Muratore, Director, Luminate
• Billy Fields, VP Sales, Warner Music Group

Credits:
• Original intro music by The Arc of All. sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
• Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
• Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Headphone, Home Theater and Music news by visiting:

https://www.ecoustics.com

#vinylcommunity #musicindustry #vinylrecordindustry #luminate #billboardcharts #wmg #warnermusicgroup #musicbusinessnews #ecoustics #mediamanufacturing #makingvinyl #vinylalliance #blackcircleradio #sourceoflightandpower 

Boutique electronics manufacturer LTA (Linear Tube Audio) offers cutting edge vacuum tube-based HiFi components designed in partnership with the legendary amp designer David Berning. Our Producer Mitch Anderson chats with LTA's Sales and Marketing Manager Nicholas Tolson about the company's new Aero DAC and Velo Headphone Amplifier, which LTA has been showing to much acclaim at high-end audio shows all over the country.

As a show veteran, we also get Tolson's perspective on the best way for HiFi show attendees to make the most out of their visits. Find out why everything sounds better on Sundays, why song requests should not never be shouted ("Freebird!") and other insider tips. 

For more information on Linear Tube Audio please visit:
https://www.lineartubeaudio.com

Thank you to our sponsors SVS & QAcoustics! For more information on these stellar brands, please click the links below: 

https://www.svsound.com

https://www.qacoustics.com

Credits:
• Original intro music by The Arc of All. sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
• Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
• Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Headphone, Home Theater and Music news by visiting:

https://www.ecoustics.com
#audiophile #LTA #ZOTL #LinearTubeAudio #lifestylesound #interiordesign #tubeampdesign #audioindustry #ecoustics #musictech #HIFIShows #CAF2024 #Audio DAC#hiresaudio #hifi 

While TV picture quality continues to improve, TV sound quality is still pretty terrible, maybe even worse than it used to be. What's a poor movie and music lover to do? Will a cheap soundbar do the trick or is it really necessary to bite the bullet and go with a component-based sound system? Maybe something in between?

Listen in as eCoustics founder Brian Mitchell and editor-at-large Chris Boylan discuss what options are out there now and whether you can get great sound at home without complicated set-up or a huge investment.

Thank you to our sponsors Chord, SVS & Q Acoustics!

For more information on these stellar brands, please click the links below: 

https://soundorg.com/ultima-integrated-amplifier/

https://www.svsound.com

https://www.qacoustics.com

On the panel:
Brian Mitchell, eCoustics Founder & CEO
Chris Boylan, eCoustics Editor at Large

Credits:
Original intro music by The Arc of All.
Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited.
Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Music, Home Theater, and Headphone news by visiting:
https://www.ecoustics.com

#hometheater #soundbar #theaterbar #televisions #ecoustics #hifi #surroundsound #dolbyatmos #immersiveaudio #bringingthecinemahome #braviatheater #avtech #homelistening

There’s no denying that movie theater attendance and revenues still haven’t recovered from the pandemic. In fact, 2024 looks like it may end significantly weaker than 2023 for box office revenue. With inexpensive 98-inch TVs, great sounding home theater systems and soundbars, is there even a future for the movie theater? And if so, what does that look like? 

Join the conversation with eCoustics Editor-in-Chief Ian White and Editor-at-Large Chris Boylan as they discuss the current and possible future state of movies in theaters and in the home.


Panel:

Ian White, eCoustics Editor-in-Chief (Host)
Chris Boylan, eCoustics Editor-at-Large

Credits:

Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Headphone, Home Theater and Music news by visiting:

https://www.ecoustics.com

#hifi #audiophile #boxoffice2024 #imax #amc #directtostreaming #ecoustics #hometheater #filmsound  #surroundsound #hiresplayback #filmproduction #movienews

Every year since 2004, the top TVs compete for the title of “King of TV” in the Value Electronics TV Shootout. This year, Sony won both the OLED and MiniLED competitions. Our Editor-at-Large Chris Boylan has covered the event in person since 2011. Here's how this year’s Shootout went down.

Find out who won, what it revealed, and ultimately what matters to you if you’re hoping to buy the best TV in 2024. 

View the results and scorecards here:

https://www.ecoustics.com/news/2024-tv-shootout/

Panel:

Brian Mitchell, eCoustics Founder & CEO (Host)
Chris Boylan, eCoustics Editor-at-Large

Credits:

Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Headphone, Home Theater and Music news by visiting: https://www.ecoustics.com

#miniled #oled #qled #tv #4ktv #ecoustics #sony #samsung #lg #tcl #hisense #hometheater #hdr #uhd #4k #8k #tvtech #2024bestof #2024tv

Every year, CEDIA Expo showcases the very best architectural and outdoor audio and video solutions for homes, yachts, and more. Our Editor-at-Large, Chris Boylan and Sr. News Correspondent, Robert Silva fervently experienced all the show had to offer over three days (Sept 4-7), which varied from relatively affordable to million dollar home theater systems.

In this episode, the eCoustics team reveals its Best in Show winners across 17 different categories at CEDIA Expo 2024. 

For a list of all the winners and their products mentioned, please visit: 
https://www.ecoustics.com/news/best-cedia-expo-2024/

Thank you to our sponsors Chord, SVS & Q Acoustics! For more information on these stellar brands, please click the links below: 

https://soundorg.com/ultima-integrated-amplifier/

https://www.svsound.com

https://www.qacoustics.com

Related links:

https://www.ecoustics.com/news/cedia-expo-2024-highlights-1/

https://www.ecoustics.com/reviews/jbl-modern-audio-2024/

https://www.youtube.com/ecoustics

Panel:

Brian Mitchell, eCoustics Founder & CEO (Host)
Chris Boylan, eCoustics Editor-at-Large
Robert Silva, eCoustics Sr. News Correspondent 

Credits:
• Original intro music by The Arc of All. sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
• Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
• Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Headphone, Home Theater and Music news by visiting:

https://www.ecoustics.com

#cedia2024 #cediaexpo #audiophile #hifi #hometheater #lifestylesound #interiordesign #audioindustry #ecoustics #projectors #4ktv #luxuryaudio #luxuryav #inwallspeakers #outdoorspeakers

Streaming has become the dominant format for both music listening and video viewing. Music streaming services account for 84% of all music listening and 89% of music industry revenue. Video streaming services account for approximately 95% of the home video market. Fully 99% of US households subscribe to one or more video streaming services as of 2023. Many video streaming services can deliver video in high quality 4K resolution with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for a gorgeous image. But those who seek out and appreciate the finest possible sound quality may find actually getting that high quality sound through a streaming service is more complicated than it should be. 

In this episode, eCoustics founder and CEO Brian Mitchell and Editor-at-Large Chris Boylan discuss the options out there for high quality audio including immersive sound, aka “spatial audio,” lossless music and even high resolution audio. Which services do it right? Which do it wrong? Listen in to find out. 

Thank you to our sponsors SVS & QAcoustics! For more information on these stellar brands, please click the links below: 

https://www.svsound.com

https://www.qacoustics.com

Credits:
• Original intro music by The Arc of All. sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
• Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
• Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Headphone, Home Theater and Music news by visiting:

https://www.ecoustics.com

#svsultraevolution #svsspeakers #svssubs #audiophile #hifihappyhour #hifi #2024speakers #hometheater #lifestylesound #interiordesign #speakerdesign #audioindustry #ecoustics #musictech #immersiveaudio #dolbyatmos #sony360 #spatialaudio #dtsx #mqa #hiresaudio #digitalaudioproblems

While speaker company SVS is known for their bargain-priced high quality Prime Series loudspeakers, the company just launched a new flagship line called the Ultra Evolution. It's actually more of a revolution than an evolution with all new drivers, new crossovers and a completely new industrial design. With diamond-coated tweeters and an angled cabinet design to assure time alignment and phase coherence, the SVS Ultra Evolution offers both the sound quality and the look of much more expensive audiophile loudspeakers. 

In this podcast, we chat with Gary Yacoubian, CEO and President and Nick Brown, VP of Marketing for SVS who discuss the details of the SVS Ultra Evolution loudspeaker line: what makes them special and why they took more than two years to design and manufacture.

More details: https://www.ecoustics.com/products/svs-ultra-evolution-loudspeakers/

Hosted by:
Mitch Anderson, Producer 
Chris Boylan, Editor-at-Large 


Thank you to our sponsor CHORD! For more information on their breathtaking Ultima Integrated, please visit: 


https://soundorg.com/ultima-integrated-amplifier/

Credits:
• Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://www.sourceoflightandpower.com
• Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
• Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Headphone, Home Theater and Music news by visiting:

https://www.ecoustics.com

#svsultraevolution #svsspeakers #svssubs #audiophile #hifihappyhour #hifi #2024speakers #hometheater #lifestylesound #interiordesign #speakerdesign #audioindustry #ecoustics #musictech 

In this episode of the eCoustics podcast, Mitch Anderson sits down with Chief Engineer Clint Holley and Senior Mastering Engineer Dave Polster from Well Made Music to discuss the DSD audio format. Well Made Music located in Bristol, Virginia has over 1700 mastering credits to its name on Discogs, and not one, not two, not three, but four Neumann record cutting lathes inside their mastering facility. 

This episode takes a look at how audio innovation from the 1950s played a huge role in Sony creating DSD in the 1970s and how DSD continues to demand hardware and software innovation from the audio industry in 2024. 

For more information on Well Made Music please visit: https://www.wellmademusic.net

Thank you to our sponsor CHORD! For more information on their breathtaking Ultima Integrated, please visit: 
https://soundorg.com/ultima-integrated-amplifier/



Credits:
• Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://www.sourceoflightandpower.com
• Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
• Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Headphone, Home Theater and Music news by visiting:

https://www.ecoustics.com

#vintageaudio #vintagehifi #vinylcommunity #vinylmastering #musiconvinyl #wellmademusic  #audiophile #hifi #ecoustics #dsd #dsdaudio #lathecutting #audioformats #musiconvinyl #discogs #digitalmastering 

Now that all five major TV makers have shown off their 2024 flagship TVs, it's time to talk about which TVs we believe are in the running for best TV of 2024. Will OLED win the day or will it finally be toppled by a Mini LED TV? Ultimately, no TV is perfect for all content in every environment. But the key is to pick the best TV for your specific needs.

We chat with Caleb Denison, Editor-at-Large for Digital Trends to compare notes on which new TVs from Sony, Hisense, TCL, LG and Samsung are most likely to earn the top marks overall and which factors, including black level performance, brightness, contrast, color reproduction, bright room performance and - of course - SIZE - go into the decision of which TV to buy in 2024.

*** Thank you to our home theater loving sponsor Q Acoustics at https://www.qacoustics.com ***

Watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JjlmdqMtWJQ

Watch all of Caleb's videos at: https://www.youtube.com/digitaltrends

On the panel:

Caleb Denison, Digital Trends Editor-at-Large
Brian Mitchell, eCoustics Founder & CEO
Chris Boylan, eCoustics Editor-at-Large

Related links:

https://www.ecoustics.com/podcasts/sony-2024/
https://www.ecoustics.com/products/sony-bravia-tvs-soundbars-2024/
https://www.ecoustics.com/products/tcl-qd-mini-led-tv-2024/
https://www.ecoustics.com/products/samsung-tvs-2024/
https://www.ecoustics.com/products/lg-oled-tvs-2024/
https://www.ecoustics.com/products/hisense-u9n-tv-2024/

Credits:

Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Headphone, Home Theater and Music news by visiting: https://www.ecoustics.com

#digitaltrends #calebdenison #miniled #oled #tv #4ktv #ecoustics #sony #samsung #lg #tcl #hisense #hometheater #hdr #uhd #4k #8k

In this episode we speak with Sven Mevissen, Director of Product Management, Home and Media Solutions, Xperi (parent company to DTS) to discuss the IMAX Enhanced program and the role that DTS:X plays in delivering immersive cinematic sound to home viewers. As of May 15, 2024, Disney+ is the first mainstream streaming service to bring the IMAX Enhanced experience with DTS:X sound into your home. The first of such titles includes the "Queen Rock Montreal" concert film as well as 18 films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

DTS:X immersive sound differs from traditional surround by adding a height dimension that enables sound to come from not just all around you but above you as well. The partnership between IMAX and DTS allows home viewers to experience IMAX visuals and the IMAX theatrical audio mix at home for the first time.
However, all subscribers of Disney+ may not be able to experience the full impact of IMAX Enhanced with DTS:X sound unless their equipment is compatible. We dive into all the details.

For more information on IMAX Enhanced with DTS:X please visit:
https://dts.com/discover/now-streaming-dtsx/

Thank you to our home theater loving sponsors SVS! For more information please visit: https://www.svsound.com

On the panel:

Sven Mevissen, Director of Product Management, Home and Media Solutions, Xperi
Brian Mitchell CEO and Founder, eCoustics
Chris Boylan, Editor at Large, eCoustics

Credits:

Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Headphone, Home Theater and Music news by visiting:

https://www.ecoustics.com

#hifi #audiophile #IMAXDTSX #DTS #ecoustics #hometheater #filmsound #soundforfilm #IMAXNews #surroundsound #hiresplayback #filmproduction #videopostproduction